How Drake Maye and his wife turned 54 Patriots fans’ classroom wish lists into an unexpected back-to-school surprise (Getty Images)
What followed was a $15,000 gesture that left teachers in tears. Its first major fundraiser, a celebrity softball game in Worcester, raised more than $500,000. “I have been in this district for 29 years, so to receive that type of generosity doesn’t happen often.
Maye launched the MayeDay Family Foundation earlier this year to support children and families.
She forwarded it to her two assistant vice principals and told them to dig into it. “I’m not gonna lie, we were a little skeptical at first because we get a lot of emails,” Costa admitted. “It was amazing,” said Costa. Third-grade dual-language teacher Deidania Pena-Darosa said she and her partner teacher were immediately thinking about dual-language books they could finally purchase. Assistant Vice Principal Kelli Goodwin said the school intends to hold a “Maye Day” event in May to honor the couple. “Every time we talk about it it gives me goosebumps,” Goodwin said.
When Alfred Lima Sr. Elementary School principal Tonya Costa opened an email claiming to be from someone representing New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, her first instinct was doubt. “But we did a little research and talked to him and we realized it was real. “There were teachers crying. They couldn’t have been more thankful. Reading interventionist Jennifer Cicerine put it plainly: “My Amazon cart is filled with games and tactile or kinesthetic activities to support students, so I’m excited not to use my own money to do that. Library media specialist Tasha White pointed to microphones and improved green screen capabilities as items she could now look at buying. The Providence school donation marks another chapter in that mission, with the foundation supporting children and families in New England as well as Maye’s home state of North Carolina. The school is already planning something in return. And when it comes in this magnitude to have an impact this big, it’s just so meaningful and purposeful. ” For a quarterback still in his second NFL season, Maye is building something beyond the field that carries its own kind of weight.